Apollo.io vs MailRush.io: Sales Engagement Platform vs Cold Email Platform Comparison
Compare Apollo.io (sales engagement platform) and MailRush.io (cold email platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel outreach across email, phone, and LinkedIn, built around a 275M+ contact database, while MailRush.io is a dedicated cold email platform offering unlimited senders and unlimited email warming. Apollo.io starts free, MailRush.io starts at $19/mo. Many teams use both together for different parts of the workflow.
Key takeaways
- Apollo.io lists a B2B contact and company database of 275M+ contacts plus multi-channel sequences across email, phone, and LinkedIn.
- Apollo.io's Free plan costs $0/mo, and its Organization plan costs $119/mo with 72,000 credits per seat per year.
- MailRush.io's Starter plan costs $19/mo for up to 1,000 contacts, and its Scale plan costs $99/mo for up to 50,000 contacts and 25,000 emails per month.
- MailRush.io includes unlimited senders and unlimited email warming, along with email validation and Zapier integrations.
- Apollo.io integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, LinkedIn, Zapier, Slack, Sendgrid, Outreach, and Salesloft.
Reviewed and updated September 2, 2026
Apollo.io vs MailRush.io: Sales Engagement Platform vs Cold Email Platform Comparison
Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform; MailRush.io is a cold email platform. Whether you need one, the other, or both depends on which part of the workflow you are buying for: multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking on one side, cold email outreach on the other. This guide lays out what each vendor publishes.
The Quick Answer
Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking; MailRush.io is a cold email platform for cold email outreach. By each vendor's own wording, Apollo.io lists b2b contact and company database (275m+ contacts) and multi-channel sequences (email, phone, linkedin), and MailRush.io lists unlimited senders and unlimited email warming.
Apollo.io offers a lower entry point at $0/mo compared to MailRush.io at $19/mo.
If your priority is coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, Apollo.io is the one built for it; for sending campaigns that land in the inbox and generate replies, that is MailRush.io. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Apollo.io is All-in-one sales intelligence and engagement platform combining a 275M+ contact database with automated sequences, email outreach, dialer, and AI-powered workflows for prospecting at scale.
MailRush.io is Cold email software that automates outreach and multi-step follow-ups from your own SMTP/IMAP mailboxes or MailRush-provided sending accounts. Email warmup and email validation are included in every plan.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Free
Starter
Apollo.io Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly |
| Basic | $49/mo | 30,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
| Professional | $79/mo | 48,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
| Organization | $119/mo | 72,000 credits per seat per year, granted upfront |
Source: Apollo.io Pricing
MailRush.io Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts | Emails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $19/mo | Up to 1,000 contacts | Up to 5,000 emails per month; up to 1,000 emails per day |
| Pro | $39/mo | Up to 30,000 contacts | Up to 10,000 emails per month; up to 1,500 emails per day |
| Scale | $99/mo | Up to 50,000 contacts | Up to 25,000 emails per month; up to 3,000 emails per day |
Source: MailRush.io Pricing
Pricing Analysis
Apollo.io is more affordable at the entry level ($0/mo vs $19/mo). For teams with tight budgets or those just getting started with multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking and cold email outreach, this price difference matters.
Apollo.io offers 4 pricing tiers compared to MailRush.io's 3, giving you more granularity as you scale.
Apollo.io includes a free tier, letting you test the platform before committing financially.
Features Breakdown
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- and 4 more listed below
- Unlimited senders
- Unlimited email warming
- Email validation
- API access & Webhooks
- Zapier integrations
- Spintax support
- and 5 more listed below
Apollo.io Key Features
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- Buying intent signals and job change alerts
- Advanced lead scoring and filtering
- Email deliverability tools and mailbox rotation
- Conversation intelligence (Professional+)
MailRush.io Key Features
- Unlimited senders
- Unlimited email warming
- Email validation
- API access & Webhooks
- Zapier integrations
- Spintax support
- Email follow-ups
- Suppression list
- Email copy spam assessment
- Email personalization
- Unsubscription automation
The two lists below are a diff of each vendor's own feature list by exact wording, so a capability both tools offer can appear on either side under a different name.
Listed only by Apollo.io
- B2B contact and company database (275M+ contacts)
- Multi-channel sequences (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- AI-powered email writing and optimization
- Built-in dialer with call recording
- Automated workflows and engagement rules
- A/B testing for email sequences
- Buying intent signals and job change alerts
- Advanced lead scoring and filtering
- Email deliverability tools and mailbox rotation
- Conversation intelligence (Professional+)
Listed only by MailRush.io
- Unlimited senders
- Unlimited email warming
- Email validation
- API access & Webhooks
- Zapier integrations
- Spintax support
- Email follow-ups
- Suppression list
- Email copy spam assessment
- Email personalization
- Unsubscription automation
Integration Ecosystem
Apollo.io Integrations
Apollo.io connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, LinkedIn, Zapier, Slack, Sendgrid, Outreach, Salesloft, Webhooks API.
MailRush.io Integrations
MailRush.io connects with: SMTP, IMAP, Zapier, Webhooks.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: Zapier.
Integrations listed only by Apollo.io: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, LinkedIn, Slack, Sendgrid, Outreach, Salesloft, Webhooks API.
Integrations listed only by MailRush.io: SMTP, IMAP, Webhooks.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Apollo.io
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable sales engagement platform
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (12 integrations)
- Teams that want to start free and scale up as needs grow
Best Fit for MailRush.io
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable cold email platform
- Teams that need a wide feature set (11 capabilities listed)
- Sales teams running high-volume outbound email campaigns
- Agencies managing multiple client outreach programs
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Apollo.io | MailRush.io |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free | $19/mo |
| Top Tier Price | $119/mo | $99/mo |
| Total Features Listed | 10 | 11 |
| Integrations | 12 | 4 |
| Founded | 2015 | N/A |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking and cold email outreach requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected sequences and engagement actions and email sending volume to find the right tier
- List the integrations your team currently relies on
- Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
- Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
- Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality
Final Thoughts
Apollo.io serves the multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking side of an outbound stack and MailRush.io the cold email outreach side. Apollo.io offers a more accessible entry point, while MailRush.io starts at $19/mo. Your decision should weigh pricing against the specific features that matter most for your workflow.
Start with a trial of each to see which platform fits your team's daily process. The best tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.
Pricing and features verified as of September 2026. Visit Apollo.io and MailRush.io for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What's the actual difference between Apollo.io and MailRush.io?
- Apollo.io is a sales engagement platform combining a 275M+ contact database with multi-channel sequences across email, phone, and LinkedIn, along with a built-in dialer and AI-powered workflows. MailRush.io is a cold email platform focused specifically on sending campaigns from your own or provided mailboxes, with unlimited email warming and validation included on every plan.
- Which is cheaper, Apollo.io or MailRush.io?
- Apollo.io has the lower entry price at $0/mo with its Free plan, while MailRush.io's cheapest plan, Starter, costs $19/mo. Apollo.io also offers four pricing tiers up to $119/mo, compared to MailRush.io's three tiers up to $99/mo, giving Apollo.io more pricing granularity as needs scale.
- Can I use Apollo.io and MailRush.io together?
- Yes, the article notes that many teams run one of each. Apollo.io handles coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, while MailRush.io is used for sending cold email campaigns designed to land in the inbox and generate replies.
- Does MailRush.io offer features that Apollo.io doesn't list?
- Yes, MailRush.io lists unlimited senders, unlimited email warming, email validation, API access and webhooks, Zapier integrations, spintax support, suppression lists, and email copy spam assessment, none of which appear on Apollo.io's own feature list.
- Does Apollo.io have a free plan?
- Yes, Apollo.io offers a Free plan that provides 900 credits per seat per year, granted monthly. Paid tiers then move to Basic at $49/mo, Professional at $79/mo, and Organization at $119/mo, each with upfront annual credit allotments.
About the author.
Tim Carden is CMO / CTO at RevenueFlow, which builds and operates outbound revenue engines for B2B companies. Studied at McGill University.
Tim Carden · CMO / CTO
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